Shop safely

If you register and print a voucher from Days Out Guide then buy a National Rail ticket, you can get 2for1 entry to over 150 top UK attractions, including SeaLife Centres, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Alton Towers and Legoland Windsor when you present both at the attraction. See the full theme park list or the zoo and wildlife list.

You need to print a voucher for the relevant attraction (follow the link above and search for it) AND have a valid rail ticket bought from National Rail on the same day for a single or day return ticket, or within the days of travel for a return ticket.

What if I live near the attraction/am travelling by other means?

It's worth doing this even if you are not travelling by train as a cheap single ticket can be available for a couple of quid, far cheaper than the entry ticket price (Alton Towers is the most expensive at £51.60 on the gate).

Just stop by the nearest station on your way and pick one up, then present both to get your 2for1. Crucially, your rail ticket must show that you have travelled to one of the stations nearest the attraction. So for Thorpe Park, you need to have a ticket with an end destination of Staines or Chertsey.

The offer's ongoing, but check the voucher for each individual attraction's restrictions, as these vary. See the full T&Cs including which tickets are valid.

MSE Rhiannon says:

Electronic ticket barriers can sometimes retain your ticket (especially if it's a single), so to make sure you don't lose your proof of travel, ask a member of the station staff at a manned gate to help you through.

All aboard! Virgin Trains is having an up to 52% off sale across selected peak and off-peak trains for routes on its West Coast network – stations between London Euston and Glasgow Central, see full map.

The sale includes one-way standard advance tickets between London and Birmingham for £5 each way, between London and Manchester for £11 each way, and between Glasgow and London for £18 each way. You can also get some cracking first class fares (see below).

Tickets are for travel from Tue 3 Apr to Fri 1 Jun, with some routes excluded on 20, 26 and 27 May, and journeys affected by engineering works are also excluded. You can book the discounted fares via the Virgin Trains site until 11.59pm on Mon 19 Mar – there's no booking fee.

What discounted fares can I get?

Virgin Trains says there are 500,000+ discounted standard and first class advance single tickets available, which will be labelled as 'Seat Sale'.

Discounted seats are randomly spread across the West Coast network and sale period, with most availability on off-peak services and limited availability during weekday peak times and at weekends – so it will involve a bit of trial and error to find the cheaper fares. In the past, this has been very popular, so you'll need to 'make tracks' and be flexible on times and dates to get the cheapest tickets.

Virgin Trains told us you'll be able to get up to 52% off advance single tickets (if you want a return you'll need to book two singles). Here are examples of discounted fares that will be available:

£5 London Euston to Birmingham each way (norm cheapest advance single £8, on-the-day single £30ish)

£11 Birmingham to Glasgow each way (norm cheapest advance single £16.50, on-the-day single £110ish)

£11 Manchester to London Euston each way (norm cheapest advance single £23, on-the-day single £80ish)

£18 London Euston to Glasgow each way (norm cheapest advance single £30, on-the-day single £140ish)

Tickets in this offer are only valid for the specific train and seat reserved online, and are non-refundable. Unfortunately, no further discounts are available with a railcard.

Discounted first class fares are also available

Although it's not as MoneySaving, if you're looking for first class tickets, you can find some strong discounts in this sale – including from £17 each way (norm cheapest £27) between Birmingham and London, £30 each way (norm cheapest £45) between London and Manchester, and £37 each way (norm cheapest £60) between London and Glasgow.

What about child tickets?

Discounted child tickets are available in this sale for half the price of the adult sale ticket, so a family of four – two adults and two children – could visit London from Birmingham for £30 return (£5 each way for each adult, £2.50 each way for each child).

National Express is offering one million single coach fares for £5 or less via this National Express* link, for travel until Fri 20 Apr.

The cheap fares (plus £1 booking fee per transaction) are randomly spread on hundreds of its routes including singles from Birmingham to London for £1.50, Manchester to Sheffield for £2.90, and Cardiff to London for £5 – see 'More info' for a list of popular routes and cheap tickets available.

How do I find the cheap fares?

The cheap fares are randomly spread throughout the booking period, so it could be pot luck finding the cheapest fares on a specific coach on a specific date – you'll have more chance the more flexible you are. After you've selected your journey and dates, you'll be able to see the cheapest tickets available (see image).

Popular times are expected to go quickly, and there's limited availability during peak times, half-term and Easter holidays.

The tickets are 'restricted' fares, which aren't amendable and are non-refundable.

There's a £1 booking fee per transaction and you can print your tickets at home for free, otherwise you'll pay an extra £2.50 to have your tickets posted to you or £1 to have them sent to your mobile phone.

Will these fares always be cheapest?

Most of the time, these cheap 'restricted' fares should be cheaper than a 'standard' or 'flexible' fare, but if you have a National Express Coachcard (this works similar to a railcard and gets a third off standard fares), then sometimes it may be cheaper to buy a standard fare ticket with a Coachcard if the restricted fare is less than 33% cheaper than the standard fare.

Halfords is offering free winter car checks at all of its stores throughout the winter. It's yet to give us an exact end date, but has said it will be ongoing throughout February and March.

Simply drive to any Halfords* or Halfords Autocentre to get a free six-point car check. Halfords says it takes about 15 minutes, and although you don't actually need to book in advance, you can book online if you want a specific time slot.

Checks via the free offer include:

Battery

Bulbs

Wiper blades

Oil levels

Screenwash levels, topped up for free

Windscreen chip check

The free screenwash top-up can be as much as two litres, which would normally cost about £2ish in itself. Staff might try to upsell you (eg, oil, new wipers etc), so be on your guard - there's no obligation to act on any advice you're given, or to buy anything.

You can also get your tyres checked...

You can also get a free tyre safety check when you drive to a Halfords Autocentre (find your nearest). The service includes a pressure check and full tyre inspection, and Halfords says it shouldn't take any longer than about 10 minutes, but you should allow for up to an hour in case you have to wait. Again, there's no obligation to act on any advice.

We checked with Halfords and it told us you can have both the winter car check and the tyre safety check carried out on the same day. Unlike the winter car check, the tyre check is available at any time of year. There's no need to book in advance.

If your train season ticket is an Annual Gold Card, it gives you extra discounts that a standard season ticket doesn't, and one of its biggest perks is that you can get a railcard for £10 (up to 66% off the normal price) for yourself or someone else.

But there's no point buying one for yourself unless you plan to travel outside of the Annual Gold Card area (most of the South of England and West Mids) as the Gold Card already gets you a third off within this area.

What kind of season ticket do I need?

You'll need to have an Annual Gold Card, which you’ll have been given automatically if you’ve bought a year's season ticket or Travelcard (not weekly or monthly) from one of 600+ stations on this Annual Gold Card area map.

It covers a large area of the South of England and West Midlands – including Bournemouth, Brighton, Coventry, Norwich, and London stations – and you’ll get it even if only one of the stations on your ticket falls within this area.

Which railcards does it get me for £10?

You can choose from the major national railcards – 16-25, Family & Friends, Two Together, Senior and Disabled Persons, and the Network Railcard for London and the South of England. These cards get you a third off most journeys – see all railcard types. You can get one annual railcard for £10 at any time during the validity of your Annual Gold Card.

Don't have a Gold Card? You could still get the railcard discount

If a friend or family member who commutes has a Gold Card, just ask them to buy the £10 railcard for you if they don't need it, and they can follow the steps below. Check Railcard* to make sure you're eligible and provide the Gold Card holder with any photos or evidence of eligibility required.

You can only buy the £10 railcard from a station

If you bought your annual season ticket from a train station, you'll need to purchase your railcard from that station. If you bought it online, then you can go to your nearest station.

Let the staff member know you want to purchase a £10 railcard with your Gold Card and fill in the application they give you. Some railcards such as 16-25 and Senior require photos and evidence of eligibility so have that with you, and you'll need to show your Gold Card.

If you're buying a railcard for someone else, Railcard says the person you're buying the railcard for doesn't need to be present.

As long as you're travelling within the Annual Gold Card area, your Gold Card essentially gives you most of the same discounts on rail fares as all the major railcards combined, as in addition to being your season ticket for commuting, it gets you:

34% off standard and first class off-peak train fares for you and up to three people travelling with you.

60% off for up to four kids (5-15 years old) travelling with you.

One-third off Oyster pay-as-you-go, Anytime Day Travelcards, and PLUSBUS day tickets within the Network Railcard area.

These discounts can't be used before 9.30am Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), or on Virgin Trains and Virgin Trains East Coast services. See full terms and conditions.

What about the Disabled Persons Railcard?

You can't get a £10 Disabled Persons Railcard at a station. You'll need to either call the Disabled Persons Railcard office on 0345 605 0525 or post a completed application form, evidence of eligibility, and a copy of the front and back of your Gold Card to: Disabled Persons Railcard office, PO Box 6613, Arbroath DD11 9AN.

Halfords is offering a free bicycle safety check at all of its stores (find your nearest*). There's no need to book - simply pop along with your bike and ask a member of staff for a free bike check, which shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes and covers all of the following:

Handlebars

Wheels/tyres

Gears/chain

Brakes

Saddle

Obviously, it's no coincidence Halfords is doing these checks when it also sells bike parts and cycling accessories. Staff might try to upsell you (eg, new tyres, saddle etc), but there's no obligation to act on any advice you're given, or to buy anything.

If you have a disability that makes travelling by train difficult, you may qualify for a Disabled Persons Railcard* (see 'Are you eligible?' below).

It costs £20 for one year, or £54 for three years (equivalent to £18 per year), and gets you one-third off most train travel. That means if you spend over £60 on eligible rail fares in a year (or £55 if you have a three year card), then it's worth getting one as the savings beat the cost of the card.

Unlike most other railcards, there are no time restrictions for when the Disabled Persons Railcard can be used, although it won't work on season tickets. What's more, if you travel with another adult, they'll also get one-third off.

Are you eligible?

You should qualify for a Disabled Persons Railcard if any of these apply to you:

Receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP).

Receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) at either the higher or lower rate for the mobility component, or the higher or middle rate for the care component.

Have a visual impairment.

Have a hearing impairment.

Have epilepsy.

Receive Attendance Allowance or Severe Disablement Allowance.

Receive War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement.

Receive War or Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability.

Buy or lease a vehicle through the Motability scheme.

You'll need to provide evidence of your eligibility when applying – see the Disabled Persons Railcard site for a list of accepted proof.

The railcard can't be bought at station ticket offices, but you can pick up an application form which you'll need to complete and post – or you can apply for the card online.

Can children get this railcard?

If your child (aged 5-15) has one of the eligible disabilities, they can apply for a Disabled Persons Railcard (or you can apply on their behalf). They won't get discounted child fares, but the card will allow one adult travelling with them to get one-third off.

Up to four kids (aged five to 15) can travel for £1 each return off-peak on Southeastern trains when accompanied by one adult.

Tickets can be booked in advance or on the day online or from ticket offices (not machines) and the child's fare will be automatically discounted. It's valid on open and day returns on mainline and high speed services, but not on journeys wholly within London.

To book a £1 kids' ticket:

Child ticket must be booked at the same time as an adult with an off-peak, super off-peak or season ticket

Valid all weekend and bank holidays

Valid on journeys starting after 9.30am Mon-Fri, but trains into London must arrive after 10am

Railcard discounts can be used for the adult ticket, but not the £1 kids' tickets. See the full T&Cs.

By converting Tesco Clubcard points into Tesco Rewards*, every £5 is worth £10 on rail site RedSpottedHanky. Be sure to check for individual operators' sales, as RedSpottedHanky's system doesn't usually factor in sale prices.

While worth 1p in store, Clubcard points values are up to quadrupled when converted to Tesco Rewards*, which include days out, magazine subscriptions, holidays etc; eg, Alton Towers ticket for £11.50 of points, or a year's Company mag subscription for £8.

Other deals can be better value than going via RedSpottedHanky, but if you're buying them anyway, and don't need any other deals, it's a good conversion. Read more in the Loyalty Points Boosting guide.

If you go online to Megabus*, if you get lucky, you can book rail and coach travel across the UK and Europe from £1 each way (plus 50p booking fee, so from £2.50 return). We've spotted cheap fares for travel up to March 2018 on some routes – it's worth checking back regularly.

It offers cheap tickets on coaches (Megabus), trains (Megatrain) and a combination of the two (Megaplusbus).

These £1 fares sell out quickly, so try to book months in advance where possible, be flexible with your dates and be prepared to travel at unsociable hours. Even if you miss out on £1 deals, we found many £10 and under singles which aren't bad. See the Megabus route map.

Example £1 each way fares

When we checked on Thu 4 Jan, we found £1 single tickets available on these Megabus route examples:

Manchester to London, departs 5.30pm on Sat 24 Mar.

Birmingham to Bristol, departs 4.25pm on Thu 22 Mar.

Aberdeen to Edinburgh, departs 8.10am on Mon 26 Mar.

How to book them

The sub-£10 deals, if available, should appear as normal. Simply choose where you're travelling from and to and select "all" under "travelling by" to show results for both bus and train.

Megabus has told us tickets are released for destinations in waves, usually about a month and a half before travel date, so keep checking back for later tickets if they're not available on your chosen route yet.

Get a 16-25, Family & Friends, Senior or Two Together Railcard via Tesco Clubcard* for £15 in Clubcard points instead of the usual £30. You'll be sent a code that can be used on the Railcard* site.

If you're eligible for a Disabled Persons Railcard, you can get this for £10 in Clubcard points instead of the usual £20.

What discounts do the railcards get you?

16-25:A third off fares if you're aged 16 and over and under 26. Family & Friends: A third off adult and 60% off child fares, a minimum of one adult and one child, and a maximum of up to four adults and four children (age 5-15) can travel using one card.Senior: Those aged 60 and over get a third off rail fares.Two Together:A third off rail fares for two named adults when they travel together. Disabled Persons:If you have a disability that makes travelling by train difficult, you may qualify for this. You'll get a third off fares, including at peak time.

While worth 1p in store, Clubcard points values are up to quadrupled when converted to Tesco Rewards*, which include days out, magazine subscriptions, holidays etc.

Other deals can be better value than the railcards but if you're buying them anyway, and don't need any other deals, it's a good conversion. Read more in the Loyalty Points Boosting guide. Also, check the railcard site for restrictions and to ensure you're eligible before exchanging your vouchers.

Get single adult coach tickets between London and Oxford for £15 (£18rtn), single student and over-60s tickets for £11 (£14 rtn) or under-16s for £7.50 (£9rtns) on the Oxford Tube Coach service. Pickups and drops-offs are from London, Hillingdon, Lewknor and Oxford.

You can buy tickets and passes for a month in advance from the driver and the service's full range of tickets can be bought on the Oxford Tube website, by phone or from the Gloucester Green travel shop.

You can now earn loyalty points when you buy Arriva bus season tickets or Smartrider smart cards via loyalty points scheme MyIce. You'll earn 3 Ice points for every £2 you spend. Each Ice point is worth 1p, which can be spent on further season tickets.

The season tickets and smartcards are sent out by post or can be collected from electronic ticket machines. Postage cost depends on method chosen.

Grab Megabus tickets using Tesco Clubcard vouchers*. Every £5 in vouchers gets you £10 worth of rewards, in the form of four £2.50 token codes. Valid on all routes, including trips to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Boulogne and Megatrain routes. There's a 50p booking fee payable by card.

When two adults travel together on the Greater Anglia network on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday, the second passenger gets 50% off their ticket cost. So split it between you and you can each save 25%.

You can get the offer online or by quoting the 'Duo tickets' offer at ticket offices.

It's valid on super off-peak day returns only, on the Greater Anglia route south of Manningtree/Harwich and the Cambridge to London routes. London to Stansted Airport is also included. See the Greater Anglia route map.

The offer is not available for journeys wholly within the area bounded by London Fare Zones 1-6 plus Theobalds Grove, Waltham Cross, Cheshunt, Broxbourne, Brentwood and Shenfield. Unfortunately, when there are engineering works taking place, you won't be able to get the discount.

Return journeys must start from London Victoria (not valid for return journeys starting from Gatwick). Two adults must travel together at the same time in both directions. Excludes first class and kids. Can't be combined with railcards or other offers.

As it's an off-peak ticket valid for one day, you can travel any time including weekends and bank holidays. It can also be used on weekdays, but not before 10am or between 4.15pm-7.15pm when boarding trains from East Croydon and London stations such as Victoria, London Bridge and Clapham Junction.

Railcards and other discounts can't be used with this offer and it excludes Gatwick Express services. Tickets can't be refunded or exchanged.

Book online at Gatwick Express for "anytime" and "day" returns on the non-stop London Victoria-Gatwick Airport route. The discount will be applied automatically. See full T&Cs

You can book for travel up to 12 weeks in advance and your ticket can be sent via email and/or to your mobile (though not if you're returning the same day). There's no booking fee.

We've heard print at home tickets sometimes state the return date as being the same as the outward journey. Gatwick Express has said your outward and return journeys must be within one calendar month of the date on your ticket.

Two offers (one more publicised than the other) get over-60s living in London free or super cheap travel.

Freedom Pass. FREE travel on London’s public transport. If you live in London and are the right age, the Freedom Pass gives you free travel on London’s public transport, including the Tube, buses, National Rail, DLR and Overground.

It's hard to state a definitive age for who's eligible - so use the Freedom Pass Calculator then apply online or go to your local Post Office.

All other over-60s. Pay £20 for nearly unlimited travel on Tube, buses and more. To fill the gap if you can’t get the Freedom Pass, the 60+ Oyster card gives you free travel most of the time on London’s public transport, including National Rail. When you turn 60, pay a one-off admin fee of £20 and get a card which lasts until you're eligible for a Freedom Pass.

Forumite cwc1899 posted: "My husband who recently turned 60 has to get two buses each way to work, at a cost of £4.40 per day/ £22 per week/ £1,144 per year. This will save my husband a minimum of £1,124 per year and more as he can use it at any time." Add your 60+ travel saving to the Cheap UK Travel Dealsdiscussion thread.

MSE Rhiannon says:

Both these are absolutely cracking deals so if you’re over 60 and living in London, it's a no-brainer to apply. Even if you only use the 60+ Oyster card for a year before reaching Freedom Pass age, you could save hundreds of pounds if you travel daily.

Any time on TfL buses, Tube, DLR, tram, London Overground and after 9.30am on weekdays, all day at weekends on National Rail services (all day weekdays on some lines - see theFreedom Pass map for more).

Free travel with the 60+ Oyster card includes the following services:

Bus, tube, tram, DLR and London Overground: Any time

National Rail services: From 9.30am weekdays, any time on weekends and public holidays on most services, including to Dartford and Swanley. It's valid at any time on some National Rail services, see the 60+ Travel map for full details of where you can use the card.

It's not available for those who are eligible for an older or disabled person's Freedom Pass, who have a Veterans' Oyster photocard, are under 60 years old and those who don't live in a London borough. See the full T&Cs.

If you're travelling by train in England, Scotland or Wales, Plusbus gives you unlimited day travel by bus or tram in the town or city you're travelling to. Plusbus day tickets for over 290 locations can be bought from £2 (most are between £2.50 and £4) if you buy online from one of the rail firms listed on the Plusbus site or at the station.

You can buy Plusbus tickets for the start of your journey or the end of it, or both. See the Plusbus route map for a full list of where you can use the cheap tickets.

Railcard holders can get an extra third off their day fare. Some restrictions apply, check 'more info' for the details.

Buy an advance ticket to travel with Southern Railway for less than £10 each way. Southern has released over a million tickets priced at £5, £8.50 and £12. What makes the offer even better is that it can be used with railcards, so a journey from London to Southampton could cost as little as £7 return.

You can book tickets from 12 weeks in advance, up to 6pm the night before you travel. Tickets are released each week, so booking in advance gives you more of a chance to find the £5 seats.

You'll need to register with Southern before buying tickets online and tickets can be collected two hours later at your chosen station. Offer excludes Gatwick Express services and the Oxted, Metro and Redhill routes. See the route map here.

Advance tickets are only valid on the specific date and time of train you book. Tickets are non-refundable, except those that are bought online and not collected - see Money Back Guarantee for more info.

Before spending, use Martin's Mantras. If you answer 'NO' to any, Don't buy!

are you

Skint?
ask:

Do I need it?

Can I afford it?

are you

not skint?
ask:

Will I use it?

Is it worth it?

Free protection for all shopping!

There's a little-known piece of legislation that turns any credit card into a financial self-defence superhero. 'Section 75' of the Consumer Credit Act means your plastic must protect anything you buy for more than £100 for free, so if there's a problem or the company goes bust, you can still get your money back.

And although Section 75 doesn't apply to debit cards, there is something else to fall back on if you've paid using a debit card, or used a credit card for a purchase under £100. Known as Chargeback, this is part of banks' and card companies' internal rules and not a legal requirement. Read full details of Section 75 or Chargeback, plus how to claim, in our guides.

If a link has a * by it, that means it is an affiliated link and therefore it helps MoneySavingExpert stay free to use, as it is tracked to us. If you go through it, it can sometimes result in a payment or benefit to the site.

You shouldn't notice any difference and the link will never negatively impact the product. Plus the editorial line (the things we write) is NEVER impacted by these links. We aim to look at all available products. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the top deal, it is still included in exactly the same way, just with a non-paying link. For more details, read How This Site Is Financed.

How this site works

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. We're a journalistic website and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques, but can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.

Do note, while we always aim to give you accurate product info at the point of publication, unfortunately price and terms of products and deals can always be changed by the provider afterwards, so double check first.

We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).

We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content.

Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the MoneySupermarket Group, but is entirely editorially independent. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally-binding MSE Editorial Code.